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'Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie' review: A compelling story bogged down by some prosaic choices

Remember the ethereal Monica Bellucci walking down the streets of a nondescript and sleepy Sicilian town in the World War 2 drama, Malena? Every single man wanted to be with her, and almost every single one of them knew she was way outside their leagues. The closest they got to her was by spreading rumours about Malena. It was like their ultimate revenge against the woman who didn’t even know of their existence. In many ways, when Velonie (Sanjana) walks down the streets of Kanyakumari, Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie is cut from the same cloth as Malena.

At one point in the series, a shattered Velonie cries out loud to her strict mother asking if being born beautiful was her fault. In any other setting, such a dialogue might scream haughtiness, but here, it comes from a place of poignant honesty. This is the core emotion that the series carries through its eight episodes. But Vadhandhi moves so away from this emotion that a sense of bloatedness creeps in and a tight narrative, which is the backbone of any gritty crime thriller, starts fraying around the edges.

Vadhandhi starts off with a cinema shooting where a missing heroine is mistaken to be the dead body found at the shooting location. But soon, we get to know that it is indeed the titular Velonie who is found dead on a windmill farm. This mistaken identity proves to be the fuel for a whirlwind media s*itstorm and a trial by society that takes over the lives and even memories of Velonie and her mother Ruby (a brilliant Laila).

Considering the series is titled Vadhandhi (Rumours), the film does start off with a bunch of people saying things about Velonie and what might have prompted her gruesome killing. Creator Andrew Louis is successful in building a world that leaves us with doubt if Velonie is indeed what is being said about her. In a very smart move, even if Velonie is the central character of the series, she never tells us anything directly, and all that we see on screen is hearsay.

It is her friends telling us about the kind of friend she was. It is her mother telling us about the kind of daughter she was. It is writer Sebastian (a consistently effective Nassar), one of the guests in the mansion run by her mother, who paints a rather wholesome yet sketchy picture of the gaps in Velonie’s story. There is a fiance here, a lover there, and a few forbidden romantic liaisons somewhere else. And just like the audience figures out things, we have police officer Vivek (a rather restrained SJ Suryah) figuring out the same along with us.

Points to the makers to treat the audience with respect, and give us a slowburn that allows the investigation to breathe, and doesn’t cramp it all up. Velonie’s story manifests into various forms, and takes a huge toll on Vivek’s mental makeup. Vivek goes through these emotional upheavals because he is forced to rummage through all these unwanted flab to get to the bottom of the case. Unfortunately, the same can be said about Vadhandhi too. We too have to navigate through a lot of unnecessary distractions to stay on the course of what’s happening.

Be it the thread about five IT employees consuming the news of Velonie through mainstream media and passing judgments or the narrative on certain powerful media houses manipulating the news, Vadhandhi ’s representation is unnecessary, distracting, and a colossal waste of runtime.

Vadhandhi , which is bolstered by Simon K King’s music, makes maximum use of its picturesque locations, and is one of the better-looking series on OTT thanks to DoP Saravanan Ramasamy. However, the novelty, especially with the casting and the setting, doesn’t always shine bright. While the Anglo-Indian dialect is delivered with a lot of conviction, the protagonists aren’t always convincing with their Kanyakumari dialect, which is delectable with the smattering of Malayalam. The labour in delivering these lines are clear, and it only makes the characters feel inorganic. On the other hand, certain representations definitely felt problematic, especially a disturbing dream sequence that later becomes something more ‘family friendly’ and the visual aesthetics, and certain allusions that borders on the Lolita-isation of Velonie.

For a series that is convinced of its strengths to deliver a slow burn, an almost rushed final act feels like a copout. As Suryah’s Vivek points out the depravity of people who indulge in rumour mongering, in the final episode, by the time, the eighth episode is done, and the credits start rolling, we too are as tired as him, and just want to curl up in a safe space.

Vadhandhi aims to be a lot of things and does end up being some of them, but what it doesn’t end up being is more compelling and a bigger reflection of its misgivings. To paraphrase Vivek’s observation about the power of truths and lies — Indha maadhri kadhaila nalla vishayam odum, nalla illaadhadhu parakkum.

Director: Andrew Louis Cast: SJ Suryah, Laila, Sanjana, Nassar Streaming Platform: Prime Video

Rating: 2.5/5

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Vadhandhi The Fable of Velonie Review: SJ Suryah, Sanjana's gripping thriller holds a mirror to society

Director andrew louis' vadhandhi: the fable of velonie is a layered investigative thriller that talks about sexual abuse, character assassination and the after-effects of rumours. with brilliant performances, velonie shows how society is judgemental towards women, says our review..

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Release Date: 2 Dec, 2022

What constitutes a good investigative thriller? Building tension from the first episode, and ending every episode on a cliffhanger, keep audiences engrossed in the storytelling and compelling climax. Director Andrew Louis’ Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie ticks all these boxes and some more. The eight-episode series holds a mirror to society in showing how it is always against women.

Velonie (Sanjana) is in her late teens and has had a traumatic childhood. One day, a film team finds her mortal remains in an open ground where they were supposed to shoot. Initially, the film team and police mistake Velonie for actress Mamta. But, soon, they realise that it’s Velonie. When Madurai court takes suo moto, SP (Superintendent of Police) Vivek is appointed to investigate the murder. However, this case is not that simple. A lot of twists and turns later, Vivek finally nabs the murderer. But, is he satisfied that he was able to solve the case and get justice for Velonie’s murder?

Director Andrew Louis did his best in building the tension right from the get-go. We are sucked into the world of Vadhandhi, where we feel sorry for Velonie, who got murdered brutally. Her post-mortem report says that she wasn’t raped. But, after her demise, the media coverage was so nasty that all it did was talk about her affairs. In Vivek’s words, Velonie did not find happiness when she was alive and even after her death, she is suffering because of character assassination.

Some of the dialogues in the show are perfect for the show and society. In one scene, Vivek says ‘the truth always walks, while the rumours fly.” And that is true not just for the show, but also in real life. Velonie becomes a victim of fake news and she’s not even alive to defend it.

Every episode ends on a cliffhanger and the show manages to hold our attention for the most. However, the show gets a little tiring towards Episode 5. Many sub-plots are introduced just to keep the audience guessing. Hence, after a point, it becomes difficult to keep up with the plot. Also, towards the end, the show gets predictable.

However, Andrew Louis must be applauded for addressing topics such as bad parenting, trauma, sexual abuse, and the loopholes in the police and judiciary.

Vandhandhi is replete with brilliant performances by SJ Suryah and Sanjana. They keep us engaged with their character arcs and we are curious to know what happens to them. That’s probably where the success of the show lies. Laila as a strict mother has a role that has many shades. Her performance made us buy her innocence. Time and again, Vivek Prasanna is simply the best in every role he plays. Also, Aruvi Balaji’s role needs a special mention.

Vandhandhi could have worked better if it were a little shorter. Each episode was around 50 minutes and hence it was tough to watch it in one go.

3 out of 5 for Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie.

Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Published By: shweta keshri Published On: Dec 2, 2022 --- ENDS --- ALSO READ I | SJ Suryah's Vadhandhi The Fable of Velonie screened at 53rd IFFI

HT తెలుగు వివరాలు

Vadhandhi Web Series Review: వదంది వెబ్ సిరీస్ రివ్యూ - ఎస్‌జే సూర్య న‌టించిన వెబ్ సిరీస్ ఎలా ఉందంటే

Vadhandhi Web Series Review: ఎస్‌జే సూర్య , లైలా, సంజ‌న ప్ర‌ధాన పాత్ర‌ల్లో న‌టించిన త‌మిళ వెబ్‌సిరీస్ వ‌దంది ది ఫేబుల్‌ ఆఫ్ వెలోని. ఆండ్రూ లూయిస్ ద‌ర్శ‌క‌త్వం వ‌హించిన ఈ సిరీస్ ఇటీవ‌ల అమెజాన్ ప్రైమ్ ఓటీటీలో రిలీజైంది. ఈ సిరీస్ ఎలా ఉందంటే...

Vadhandhi Web Series Review: ద‌ర్శ‌కుడిగా కెరీర్‌ను ప్రారంభించి ఆపై న‌టుడిగా మారారు ఎస్‌జే సూర్య‌ (SJ Surya). విల‌న్‌గా, క్యారెక్ట‌ర్ ఆర్టిస్ట్‌గా డిఫ‌రెంట్ క్యారెక్ట‌ర్స్‌తో తెలుగు, త‌మిళ ప్రేక్ష‌కుల్ని అల‌రించారు. ఆయ‌న ఓటీటీలోకి ఎంట్రీ ఇస్తూ తొలిసారి న‌టించిన‌ వెబ్‌సిరీస్ వ‌దంది ది ఫేబుల్‌ ఆఫ్ వెలోని(Vadhandhi Web Series). ఎనిమిది ఎపిసోడ్స్‌తో త‌మిళంలో రూపొందిన ఈ వెబ్‌సిరీస్‌ను విక్ర‌మ్ వేద ద‌ర్శ‌క‌ద్వ‌యం పుష్క‌ర్ గాయ‌త్రి నిర్మించారు. ఆండ్రూ లూయిస్ ద‌ర్శ‌క‌త్వం వ‌హించారు. సీనియ‌ర్ హీరోయిన్ లైలాతో పాటు సంజ‌న ప్ర‌ధాన పాత్ర‌ల్లో న‌టించారు. క్రైమ్ మిస్ట‌రీ థ్రిల్ల‌ర్‌గా రూపొందిన ఈ వెబ్‌సిరీస్ ఇటీవ‌ల అమెజాన్ ప్రైమ్ (Amazon prime video) ఓటీటీలో రిలీజైంది. తెలుగు భాష‌లోనూ ఈ వెబ్‌సిరీస్ అందుబాటులో ఉంది.

వెలోని మర్డర్ మిస్టరీ…

సినిమా షూటింగ్ కోసం క‌న్యాకుమారికి వ‌చ్చిన‌ ప్ర‌ముఖ హీరోయిన్ మ‌మ‌త అనుమానాస్ప‌ద రీతిలో హ‌త్య‌కు గుర‌వుతుంది. ఆమె మ‌ర్డ‌ర్ కేసు రాష్ట్ర‌వ్యాప్తంగా సంచ‌ల‌నంగా మారుతుంది. కానీ హ‌త్య‌కు గురైంది మ‌మ‌త కాద‌ని క‌న్యాకుమారి ప్రాంతానికే చెందిన వెలోని(సంజ‌న‌) అనే నిజం పోలీసుల‌కు తెలుస్తుంది. ఈ హ‌త్య కేసు ఇన్వెస్టిగేష‌న్‌ను ఇన్‌స్పెక్ట‌ర్ వివేక్ (ఎస్‌జే సూర్య‌) చేప‌డ‌తాడు. వెలోని త‌ల్లి రూబీ (లైలా) ఏంజెల్ పేరుతో ఓ లాడ్జ్ నిర్వ‌హిస్తుంటుంది.

తొలుత వెలోనిని పెళ్లి చేసుకోవాల‌ని అనుకున్న విఘ్నేష్‌ను హంత‌కుడిగా పోలీసులు అనుమానిస్తారు. కానీ వెలోని దూర‌మైన బాధ‌లో అత‌డు అత్మ‌హ‌త్య చేసుకుంటాడు. మ‌రోవైపు వెలోనికి చాలా మందితో పుకార్లు ఉన్నాయ‌ని ప్ర‌చారం జ‌రుగుతుంటుంది. దాంతో ఈ కేసు వివేక్‌కు ఛాలెంజింగ్‌గా మారుతుంది. వెలోనిని హ‌త్య చేసింది ఎవ‌రు? ఆమె గురించి స‌మాజంలో ఉన్న పుకార్ల‌లో నిజ‌మెంత ఉంది? వెలోని మ‌ర్డ‌ర్‌కేసును సాల్వ్ చేసే క్ర‌మంలో వివేక్ ఎలాంటి సంఘ‌ర్ష‌ణ‌కు లోన‌య్యాడు? అన్న‌దే వ‌దంది క‌థ‌.

పుకార్ల చుట్టూ తిరిగే కథ…

వ‌దంది అంటే త‌మిళంలో పుకారు అని అని అర్థం. నిజం నోరు దాటే లోగా అబ‌ద్దం ఊరు దాటేస్తుంది అంటూ ఈ సినిమాలో ఎస్‌జే సూర్య ఓ సంద‌ర్భంలో డైలాగ్ చెబుతాడు. ఈ సిరీస్ మొత్తం ఓ అమ్మాయి జీవితం చుట్టూ నెల‌కొన్న అబ‌ద్ద‌పు పుకార్ల చుట్టూ తిరుగుతుంది.

ప్రేమ‌, ఓదార్పు కోసం ప‌రిత‌పించే ఓ అంద‌మైన అమ్మాయికి స‌మాజం నుంచి ఎదుర‌య్యే స‌వాళ్ల‌ను అర్థ‌వంతంగా చూపించారు. క‌ళ్ల‌తో చూడ‌కుండా వాస్త‌వాలు ఏమిటో తెలియ‌కుండా క‌ట్టు క‌థ‌లు అల్లుతూ చేసే అబ‌ద్ధ‌పు ప్ర‌చారాల వ‌ల్ల ఎదుర‌య్యే అన‌ర్థాల్ని ఆలోచ‌నాత్మ‌కంగా ఆవిష్క‌రించిన సిరీస్ ఇది.

ప్ర‌తి ఎపిసోడ్ థ్రిల్లింగ్‌...

హీరోయిన్ మ‌మ‌త హ‌త్య‌కు గుర‌య్యే సీన్‌తోనే సిరీస్ మొద‌ల‌వుతుంది. ఆ త‌ర్వాత హ‌త్య చేయ‌బ‌డింది మ‌మ‌త కాద‌ని తెలుస్తుంది. ఆమె వెలోని అని పోలీసులు క‌నిపెట్టే సీన్‌తో ఫ‌స్ట్ ఎపిసోడ్ ముగుస్తుంది.

ఆ త‌ర్వాత రెండో ఎపిసోడ్‌లో వివేక్ ఎంట్రీ ఇవ్వ‌డంతో ఇన్వెస్టిగేష‌న్ ప్రాసెస్ మొద‌లుపెట్టారు డైరెక్ట‌ర్‌. వెలోని చుట్టు ఉన్న‌వాళ్లు, ఆమెతో ప‌రిచ‌యం ఉన్నవాళ్లు అంటూ ఒక్కో కొత్త పాత్ర‌ను తెర‌పైకి తీసుకురావ‌డం, వారికి వివేక్ అనుమానించ‌డం, ఈ క్ర‌మంలో వెల్ల‌డ‌య్యే నిజాల‌తో ప్ర‌తి ఎపిసోడ్‌ను థ్రిల్లింగ్‌గా న‌డిపించాడు ద‌ర్శ‌కుడు లూయిస్‌.

స్నేహితుడు చెప్పిన అబ‌ద్దం వ‌ల్ల త‌న ప్రియురాలికి దూర‌మైన వివేక్ అలాంటి త‌ప్పు వెలోని విష‌యంలో జ‌ర‌గ‌కూడ‌ద‌ని ఈ కేసును ప‌ర్స‌న‌ల్‌గా తీసుకోవ‌డం, ఈ క్ర‌మంలో త‌న ఫ్యామిలీ ప‌రంగా ఎదుర‌య్యే ఇబ్బందుల‌ను క‌థ‌లో అంత‌ర్భాగంగా ఆవిష్క‌రించిన‌ తీరు బాగుంది. చివ‌రికి ఈ హ‌త్య ఎవ‌రు చేశార‌నేది ఊహించ‌ని రీతిలో స‌ర్‌ప్రైజ్ ట్విస్ట్ ఇస్తూ సిరీస్‌ను ముగించాడు.

సూర్య రియ‌లిస్టిక్ యాక్టింగ్‌..

వివేక్ అనే పోలీస్ ఆఫీస‌ర్ పాత్ర‌లో ఎస్‌జే సూర్య రియ‌లిస్టిక్ యాక్టింగ్‌తో అద‌ర‌గొట్టాడు. అమాయ‌క‌పు ఆడ‌పిల్ల‌కు అన్యాయం చేసిన వ్య‌క్తిని శిక్షించ‌డం కోసం అనుక్ష‌ణం ఆరాట‌ప‌డే పోలీస్ ఆఫీస‌ర్‌గా అత‌డి న‌ట‌న ఆక‌ట్టుకుంటుంది. కూతురుని అర్థం చేసుకోలేని త‌ల్లిగా లైలా క‌నిపించింద. క్లైమాక్స్‌లో ఆమె క్యారెక్ట‌ర్‌లో వ‌చ్చే ట్విస్ట్ సిరీస్‌కు హైలైట్‌గా నిలుస్తుంది.

సెబాస్టియ‌న్ అనే ర‌చ‌యిత‌గా నాజ‌ర్ క‌నిపించాడు. అల‌వాటైన పాత్ర కావ‌డంతో సింపుల్‌గా చేసుకుంటూ వెళ్లిపోయాడు. వెలోనిగా సంజ‌న‌, రామ‌ర్‌గా వివేక్ ప్ర‌స‌న్న న‌ట‌న బాగుంది. ఎస్‌జే సూర్య భార్య‌గా స్మృతి వెంక‌ట్ ఎమోష‌న‌ల్ యాక్టింగ్‌తో మెప్పించింది. సైమ‌న్ కే కింగ్ బ్యాక్‌గ్రౌండ్ మ్యూజిక్ ఈ సిరీస్ లోని స‌స్పెన్స్‌ ఫీల్‌ను మ‌రింత ఎలివేట్ చేసింది.

Vadhandhi Web Series Review- ఎనిమిది ఎపిసోడ్స్‌...

వ‌దంది మొత్తం ఎనిమిది ఎపిసోడ్స్‌తో కూడిన సిరీస్‌. నెమ్మ‌దిగా సాగే క‌థ‌నం కాస్త ఇబ్బంది పెడుతుంది. ఒక‌దాని త‌ర్వాత మ‌రొక‌టి వ‌రుస‌గా కొత్త పాత్ర‌లు ఎంట్రీ ఇవ్వ‌డం కూడా క‌న్ఫ్యూజ్ చేస్తుంది. ఎస్‌జే సూర్య యాక్టింగ్‌తో పాటు క‌థ, క‌థ‌నాలు ఆ లోపాల‌ను క‌నిపించ‌కుండా చేశాయి. ఆలోచ‌న‌ను రేకెత్తించే మిస్ట‌రీ థ్రిల్ల‌ర్‌గా వ‌దంది ఫ్రెష్ ఫీల్‌ను క‌లిగిస్తుంది.

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Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie, On Amazon Prime Video, Indulges In Obvious Misdirection To Be Engaging

Director: Andrew Louis

Cast: SJ Suryah, Sanjana, Laila, Nasser, Vivek Prasanna

Streaming On: Amazon Prime

Pushkar-Gayatri ’s new production is cut from the same cloth as their first creation in the long format,  Suzhal – The Vortex  (2022). Beyond belonging to the same investigative thriller genre, it works with similar archetypes as well. The enigmatic teenager, a negligent parent, spiraling cops, etc. It also ensures of being rooted to a specific setting, so we get a sprawling mystery set in Kanyakumari this time, with a good dose of the dialect and scenic locales. For a production house, this is a good cornerstone to function with, since there’s so much more character brought about by rootedness, something that can even make up for the tiredness in a story.

That being said, there’s an obvious coldness that permeates this new series, something that I noticed in  Suzhal  as well. In spite of its focus on characters and the setting, the structure rings artificial, in a sense that it’s driven wholly by the mechanics of a plot and rarely by emotions. In Andrew Louis’s  Vadhandhi , there seems to be a lot of cheating-the-audience going on by sheer will of the screenplay, as opposed to the same feeling like the natural course of an investigation emerging from organic character decisions. At times we’re made aware of whose perspective we’re getting a flashback from, but then there are also those that are not connected to any point-of-view, seeming like blatant edit/screenplay decisions.

The narrative is interesting in the way it lays out its ideas. We get to witness the generation of a rumour from a new source in every episode. Starting with the media and journalists, moving on to a male author, distant social media users, and even gossip-loving locals. Such a thread has the makings of a story suited for this format. It’s a page-turner, a binge-inducing thriller, where “truth walks, while the lies fly”. This universal truth does get as frustrating for us as it does for sub-inspector Vivek ( SJ Suryah ), who’s in charge of the murder investigation we’re following. This is both the boon and bane of this series.

The boon is that the frustration keeps us wanting to know more, and the bane is that there’s an emotional dissonance with the revelations. I couldn’t care about the protagonist solving the case for his catharsis, not as much as I wanted to get to its depths for all the time I’ve invested. I’d rate any piece of storytelling that achieves the former, as being superior to the latter.

The rootedness brought about by the setting only feels like an attempt more than an authentic account of the way of life in that region. The Kanyakumari dialect, sprinkled with sweet doses of Malayalam words, doesn’t quite come with a lived-in feeling through this cast. Again, there sure is an attempt, but it surely doesn’t feel organic. Ditto with the Anglo-Indian English, which is all the more lifeless with the constant repetition of certain phrases and words.

SJ Suryah gets enough moments as SI Vivek that are built towards his strengths. The long-format is a great space to explore and embolden the calibre of such actors who can drive a character-based narrative. There’s a nice scene where he drops an uninterrupted backstory of a former flame, where his uninhibited demeanour drives home his motivation for being invested in the Velonie murder case. He also gets the classic single-shot drunk monologue, which is where the series gets deep into his headspace. While enjoying his performance, this is also where I clearly realised that I don’t care about the very question that’s disturbing him and the story world – who was in Velonie’s heart?

Anandhi, Vivek’s wife (Smruthi Venkat), is rendered as someone who can put her foot down, but her character falls into the immature-nagging-wife trope too much, which even gets played for laughs at a few places. I also wish the makers hadn’t visualized whatever was going on in Vivek’s head, regarding his feelings towards the deceased Velonie. It feels like a redundant sequence that doesn’t add anything complex to the fact that he’s drawn towards her.

The mechanics of the investigation do feel real, like the accessibility of leads, the hierarchy of the system and even the pacing of it. But I wish the series stuck to this track alone, dropping the detours that it takes to establish the extent of rumours. There’s an absolutely corny track involving urban youngsters who discuss the case, in a distant city far removed from reality. Both the filmmaking and writing fall absolutely flat here, with dialogues that repeatedly drive the same point over and over, and a very dry, point-and-shoot filming of the group’s conversation. The track involving a politician is again, too typical of Tamil cinema’s overdramatic gaze and presentation of power circles.

That’s probably another undoing of the series. It operates too close to the syntax of mainstream Tamil cinema that we’re all too familiar with (a staple complaint for the Tamil web-series scene), failing to push anything new for this format. When a character in an action scene says he’ll stay back on being asked to go elsewhere, you know he’s facing death in a few moments. When someone is going through a pile of laundry, you sense that that’s where the next lead will be found. The music is also mostly blaring over the events, often taking the drama to an unpleasantly melodramatic space.

There’s a brutal subplot involving rape that uses misdirection. We’re made to believe that it happened to a girl we know, but we then get a reveal that it happened to someone else altogether. The nonchalance towards the new girl and her whereabouts after this reveal is disheartening, especially in a series that seems to care so much about other things such as false narratives written around women by our society at large. The unreliable narrator logic for this instance of misdirection is sound, but the fact that the same shots are used way earlier, sans any narrator or perspective, is the sort of frustratingly noticeable cheating that the makers indulge in.

While the story does involve debunking insulting narratives around an otherwise honest young girl, it’s not a stretch to wonder that it might also be perpetuating age-old stereotypes associated with the Anglo-Indian community that she’s from. There sure is a neat and noble message packed for its ending, but the series doesn’t do much to question existing narratives around the community as much as it feels sorry for general forthcoming ones. This is one intersection that the makers have missed out on in terms of their politics. They get a lot of other things right, like the portrayal of the extent to which mistrust from a parent can affect a child, and how religious terminology can be used to easily vilify children.

The final image of the story is that of Vivek expressing his want for another child, a girl, to protect her and provide her all the happiness in the very society that he has come to detest the ugliness of. It might seem honorable at first thought, but having followed his harrowing journey through the investigation, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that his idea sounded like a coping mechanism more than a ray of hope. The ominous background score adds on to this feeling. It’s a slightly scary thought when you think of it. What could happen to a child born solely to be an agent of catharsis for someone’s disappointment with society?

While the social narrative that  Vadhandhi  is attempting to explore is admirable, I find it lacking in craft to root for any of it. The misdirection and withholding of information are too obvious to not be thrown off by. If you tend to be impressed solely by the smarts in a barrage of twists, this is for you, but for those seeking to root for emotions, this isn’t quite the place to be looking in.

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Directed by Andrew Louis

The fable of Velonie

Vivek, a diligent cop, takes charge of the investigation of the murder of a beautiful young girl, Velonie. The rumours about her that spring up post her death threatens to irrevocably damage Velonie's image, Vivek must wade through a web of half-truths and confusing leads to solve the case.

S. J. Suryah Sanjana Krishnamoorthy Laila Vivek Prasanna Smruthi Venkat Nassar Vaibhav Murugesan Aruvi Bala Ashwin Kumar Avinash Raghudevan Vikky Aadithya C. Sujatha Hareesh Peradi Kumaran Thangarajan G Maheshwaran Kulappulli Leela Kavin Jay Babu Swetha Venugopal

Director Director

Andrew Louis

Producers Producers

Pushkar Gayathri S Guhapriya S. Nandakumar

Writer Writer

Editor editor.

A. Richard Kevin

Cinematography Cinematography

Saravanan Ramasamy

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Dinu Akash Praveen Kumar Milan Mathew Dinesh Rajan

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Gowtham Selvaraj

Camera Operator Camera Operator

Pradeep Babu

Production Design Production Design

Arun Venjaramoodu

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Visual effects visual effects.

O. K. Vijay

Stunts Stunts

Dhilip Subbarayan Dinesh Subbarayan

Composer Composer

Simon K. King

Sound Sound

Diluxshan Kannan Ganpat Hari Haran Balakesavan Shanmugam K C Sidharthan Sachin Sudhakaran

Costume Design Costume Design

Subhashree Kaarthik Vijay

Wallwatcher Films

Alternative Titles

Vadhandhi The Fable of Velonie, Vadhandhi: The fable of Velonie, Vadhandhi - The fable of Velonie, Vadhanthi, Vadhandi, Vathanthi, Vathandhi, Rumores, 谣言, Drb, Plotka, 루머, Rumor

Crime Drama Mystery

Thrillers and murder mysteries Suspenseful crime thrillers Intriguing and suspenseful murder mysteries Show All…

400 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by L.S.MADHESH ★★★

Peak ending, Bad pacing

Review by Safwan ★★★★

Pure thriller series with lot of plot twists, 💨

Review by Aditya Kumar Dekkala ★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Why it should be bad ending for these genre ??

Review by Nitish Galala ★★★★

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Each episode has me hooked and the revelations in final episodes are worth the drag. Pushkar Gayathri should keep bringing something like this every year.

Review by sharonfelix ★★★★

The series dwells in that narrow line differentiating the honest portrayal of a problematic society for a girl to being one of the problematic aspect it tries to expose. But I think it positions itself rightly finally, without ambiguity with it's dark 'novel' like storytelling. Seems like a poignant story told by a victim about who killed her throughout her life and continues to do so after her death.

Review by L Pink ★★★

Woh! Unexpected from Tamil industry 🔥 simply mind blowing 💥

" Insert 3 dragon template for lead characters actin / direction side / music side 🔥👑

Review by Thorfinn Karlsefni ★★

If chinnadha eludhi pazhagu da pu.da.mane was a web series (2)

Review by knhasan ★★★½

এক পাহাড়ী এলাকায় সিনেমার শুটিং করতে গিয়ে স্পটে একটা মেয়ের লাশ খুজে পায় লোকজন। চেহারাতে মিল থাকার কারণে ধারণা করে যে ওই সিনেমার নায়িকার লাশ। মিডিয়াতে খবর চাউর হলে জানা যায় যে, ওটা নায়িকার নয়, ভেলোনি নামে একটা মেয়ের। যে তার মায়ের সাথে একটা বাড়িতে থাকত। তদন্তের ভার পরে ইনিস্পেক্টর ভিভেকের উপর। এগিয়ে চলে গল্প.....

শুরুটা এবং শেষটা দূর্দান্ত। অবশ্য ডিরেক্টর প্রায় প্রতিটা এপিসোডেই টুইস্ট রেখেছে। মূলত এস জে সুরিয়া আছে দেখে। পরে দেখলাম এই সিরিজের ক্রিয়েটররাই এর আগে 'সুজাল' সিরিজটা নির্মাণ করেছিল। ওটার ধারাবাহিকতাই এটাও দেখে ফেললাম। আটটা এপিসোডে অ্যাভারেজে এপিসোড প্রতি ৪৫ মিনিট রানটাইম ছিল। মাঝের কিছু অংশ বাদে বাকিটা আমার কাছে দূর্দান্ত লেগেছে। হাতে সময় থাকলে বিঞ্জ ওয়াচ দিয়ে ফেলতে পারেন।

Review by Pragi ★★★

One has to sit through the awfully terrible pacing of this series to figure out the noble intentions it has. In the last 03 episodes the series really hits it out of the park. But the time taken to arrive to that point is excruciatingly long and painful. Thr first 5 episodes are neither innovative nor the characters are fascinating enough to explore. (except Veloni obviously who is the star of this show.) But if you can sit through that what you get is a fascinating concept of public perception on murder victim and the sheer character assasination we as social media users and media does. The whodunit is impressive and clever ( seriously the same attention could have gone…

Review by Hridoy ★★★½

Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie is a 2022 Indian-Tamil-language mystery crime thriller Web-series created by Andrew Louis, of Leelai and Kolaigaran fame, for Amazon Prime Video. It was directed and written by Andrew Louis. The principal cast of the series includes S. J. Suryah, Laila, Nassar, Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, Smruthi Venkat, Vivek Prasanna, Kumaran Thangarajan, Vaibhav Murugesan, Vikky Aadithya and Hareesh Peradi. It premiered on December 2, 2022 and consists of eight episodes.

Review by aarabikuga ★★★½

the idea of only knowing about Velonie thru how people view her was pretty interesting!! but a drag at times 

also Sj Surya was great in this i hope he gets casted in more stuff!!!

Review by 🍿A r j u n 🎟️ ★★★★

Rumours spread quickly everywhere truth takes time.

Many days after I watched and completed this series. It amazing. story line it follows veloine a beautiful teen age girl . Everyone try to impress she mysteriously died. Media spreading hd about her past life. How sj.suriya struggle to solve this case.

continue reading on........

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Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie stars SJ Suryah as Cop Vivek, Sanjana as Velonie, Laila as Velonie’s mother Ruby, Vivek Prasanna as Ramar, Nassar as KI Sebastian, Smruthi Venkat as Anandhi, Vaibhav Murugesan as Jones, Aruvi Balaji as Alex, and others. Written and directed by Andrew Louis, Amazon Prime Video’s Tamil thriller series is produced by Pushkar-Gayatri. The cinematography is done by Saravanan Ramasamy, and the editing is done by Richard Kevin.

There are a total of 8 episodes of 50-60 minutes. The series has subtitles in English. The synopsis reads, “Vivek, a diligent cop, takes charge of the investigation of the murder of a beautiful young girl, Velonie. The rumours about her that spring up post her death threatens to damage Velonie’s image irrevocably, Vivek must wade through a web of half-truths and confusing leads to solve the case. The series was created by Andrew Louis and is produced by Pushkar & Gayatri.”

Vadhandhi The Fable of Veloni Review Contains No Spoilers

Vadhandhi is about the death of a young girl named Velonie. Velonie lives with her mother, Ruby, who runs a small lodge in a small town in Tamil Nadu. Vel is a beautiful young girl who is often desired by men around her (of every age). Vel’s murder makes everyone around her a suspect. But who killed her? That is what cop Vivek has to find out.

It’s not a simple whodunnit case, as media interference affects it. More than the culprit, there are rumours about Velonie’s character only because she is beautiful. Amid so many rumours and character assassination claims against Vel, we see Vivek struggling to find the truth till the end.

For me, a good murder mystery is one where I come up with my theories and have my suspects in mind while watching the movie/series. I feel good when my assumptions are wrong because that proves how smart and tricky the screenplay was! While watching Vadhandhi , I did the same. The premise is so intriguing that it didn’t take me much time to get involved in the story. Just like Vivek, every person on the screen was a suspect to me. But all we have to do is look closer, leaving all the prejudices and beliefs while solving such a sensational and complicated case.

Andrew Louis’ series is beyond just being a solid thriller. He calls out people’s behaviour in powerful positions whenever a case becomes a sensation. From media trials to judgements of people to victim blaming, he blends these topics very naturally in the story. As a viewer, I felt bad for the girl who’s dead and can’t come back to tell her side, to defend herself.

Also Read: Willow (2022) Review: Disney+ Series Relies on Nostalgia, Has Some Captivating Moments

Every episode ends on a cliffhanger and crucial revelation. The twists and turns are consistent throughout the series and never go overboard. These startling revelations and subplots, in fact, help us understand Velonie and cop Vivek more. Along with Velonie’s murder mystery, the show also focuses on Vivek’s personal life, which is a mess. The more he gets involved and committed to finding answers, the messier his life becomes. At one point, his passion towards Velonie’s case made me suspicious of him!

Vadhandhi is a brilliant show because of its intelligent and meticulous writing. The characters are also fetched out well. Actor SJ Suryah has done a commendable job as cop Vivek, who deals with many unexpected situations and people throughout. Actor Sanjana is indeed beautiful, and she played the character with sheer dedication. Until the end, we are keen to know how Velonie was as a person, and she indeed had a tough life. Sanjana played her part very well. Actors Nassar, Laila, Vivek Prasanna, and others did a good job.

Vadhandhi Review: Final Thoughts

Overall, after Suzhal , Pushkar-Gayatri backed another tremendous series with Andrew Louis. The Prime Video web show is more than just a murder mystery, it’s a thriller that highlights how in today’s time, victim-blaming is normalised and culprits are not always slammed for their actions. The story also touches upon various political and criminal angles.

Vandhandhi – The Fable of Velonie is a clever, complex and gripping crime series you should definitely binge-watch this weekend!

The series is now streaming on Prime Video .

Also Read: Tathastu Review: Zakir Khan Cracks You Up With Relatable Humour; Get Ready for Some Tears Too!

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Lovely review Pooja, i agree 100%. I really loved this series!!! I always follow and check your reviews for a guideline as to watch or not to watch a movie and i always agree with you. Thanks!!!!

Worst web series. Too lengthy, unwanted characters, irritating adult content scenes.

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Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie Review

PUBLISHED DATE : 03/Dec/2022

Bharath Vijayakumar

Andrew Louis’ Vadhandhi is a whodunit set in Kanyakumari around the murder of a young girl named Velonie. As the title suggests, the series is built around rumours surrounding this murder. The rumours aren’t so much about who killed Velonie as they are about her character. The basic intention or idea behind Vadhandhi is to expose the societal mindset that reduces a woman to her romantic or sexual life. Or simply put, as in this case, the murder of a promiscuous woman would mean that the society thinks that she got what she deserved. So how good or bad is Vadhandhi ? It can be seen in two ways. How good is it as a thriller in keeping us engrossed? How effectively does it put across the intended message? Ideally it should have scored on both counts. Firstly, I really think your response to a series depends a lot on how you consume it. Binge watching a series that runs more for than 6 hours is bound to be a little laborious. So, this is a disclaimer. But then, was it laborious solely because of a certain compulsion to watch it in one go or was it laborious because the series sort of loses its grip over you? My experience with Vadhandhi was a bit of both.

Vadhandhi gets on track right away with the very first scene of the first episode. It has a pretty predictable start for a whodunit with a corpse being found and the police trying to decipher the identity of the corpse. Vadhandhi doesn’t run at a breakneck speed. The pacing is quite deliberate, and the intention seems to get us invested with the characters and soak in the ambience. To be honest, the results are a mixed bag at best. There is a sense of alienation right from the beginning. Everything gives you a sense of ‘it is made up’. This starts right from some of the performances. What also sort of put me off was that everything on screen was so bright and neat, the kind of visuals that you get in a paint commercial. The ‘Angel Lodge’, which is a crucial part of the story, being pristine makes sense. But even a dilapidated cave like place deep inside a forest, looks like one of those neatly done Chrismas cribs that we can find in a corporate space.

For an 8-episode series, it is pretty much a given that the killer is going to be revealed in the final episode or at the maximum an episode earlier. So, this ploy of having certain episodes to divert our attention and confuse us, isn’t really going to work unless there is something very compelling. Some of the diversions work for a while, but even they come across as forced for shock value. The other main issue is that the investigation by Vivek (S.J. Suryah) doesn’t have anything intelligent for us to be hooked onto. Most of it is based on statements given by various characters. But the very aspect of Vivek zeroing on the killer using his intelligence never gets going. S.J Suryah is good. It is a welcome departure from his usual over the top style. But his scenes involving his family don’t add much. There is this final dialogue about how he wants a daughter. This fits into the overall scheme of things but otherwise our emotional investment with scenes involving him and his wife isn’t great.

Much like Suzhal , which was again produced by Pushkar-Gayathri, Vadhandhi too has an important message. If the former was about how preconceived notions are to be done away with, Vadhandhi deals with how society views women almost solely based on their sex life. The message is great, and it surprisingly doesn’t villainize a woman for seeking ways to meet her physical needs. In fact, Vivek explicitly states, that it is her personal choice and nothing for others to comment on. But a lot of choices in the series remain questionable? Vandhadhi wants us to empathize with Velonie and narrates the story through the viewpoint of a voyeuristic society. Even then, the constant leering at her comes across more like an attempt to titillate, especially the episode that is narrated through the POV of her ’supposed’ lover. Also, while this might not have been the intent, the fact that we are made to feel bad for Velonie, because she was slut shamed, despite possibly being a virgin, kind of defeats the whole point, right? And the scenes involving few young IT professionals to make a point about the male gaze is downright amateur.

Bottlomline

Vadhandhi has an important point to make and remains watchable for the most part. But it neither keeps us at the edge of the seat as a thriller nor does it achieve the emotional highs it aspires for. The job is only half done either way.

Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie – A mixed bag at best!

Rating: 2.75/5

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‘Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie’ series review: Fairly engrossing, but marred by problematic takes

Sj suryah excels in pushkar-gayatri’s ‘vadhandhi’, a whodunit tamil series that could have been quicker and tighter.

Updated - December 02, 2022 12:38 pm IST

Published - December 02, 2022 11:39 am IST

SJ Suryah in a still from ‘Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie’ | Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video

For reasons good and bad, Amazon Prime Video’s latest Tamil series Vadhandhi warrants a watch. Firstly, the way it builds its world is a huge win. In one of its initial scenes, we see a police officer ensure no one sits at the back of an ambulance carrying a semi-decomposed body of a young woman. The worry here is that even a dead body may not be spared by human vultures. This is a dark, despicable world, with many of its characters posing skewed moral compasses.

The series takes the paranoia that this gossip-hungry, patriarchal society elicits in us, and embodies it in this enclosure of a world where most men seem to be lustful animals on the hunt for prey and no woman is safe. Velonie (Sanjana), a young Anglo-Indian girl in Kanyakumari, is killed and Vivek (SJ Suryah), a Sub Inspector, takes the case. The initial episodes are crisp and set up a wonderful base. Velonie is portrayed to have been like a modern-day Cleopatra, whom the men couldn’t resist ogling at. A rumour that assassinates Velonie’s character spreads post her death. Potential suspects are aplenty, but like in most whodunits, within a few episodes, the primary suspects are mapped out clearly. There’s Vignesh, Velonie’s supposed fiancé whom she despises; Vignesh was supposed to pick up Velonie from her aunt’s place on the day she went missing. Three brothers — Santhosh, Sanjeev, and Sunny — who live in the woods with their aged mother and illegally hunt game for a living, have enough evidence against them as well. Other suspects are around the corner.

The overall structure of the screenplay in Vadhandhi is well set up for a whodunnit series. The cliffhangers after every episode do not come across as gimmicky, and there are ample high-drama moments and red herrings placed to keep you going for a few initial episodes. It’s also refreshing to see the creators do away with time stamps, fade-outs, and establishment shots to show the shift in the period in this non-linear narrative; dialogues, actions, and other details in the narrative are used for this.

Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie

There is also a visible effort to ground the material to the regional setting, and to let the story unfold within the said geography. Every character in the series speaks in the native Kanyakumari slang. This includes Velonie’s conservative, controlling mother Ruby (Laila), who even speaks English with a taint of the native slang. The landscape of Kanyakumari and the neighbouring districts are used to the advantage of the series. A handful number of distinct sets keep recurring throughout the series — Angel Lodge, the lodge run by Ruby and Velonie; the Sucheendram Police Station; the woods where the three recluse and reckless brothers reside; and Vivek’s house. These create an impression that this is akin to a small-town story, which was the case with Suzhal as well, a series that was created by Pushkar-Gayathri who creative-produced Vadhandhi.

Now, the problems arrive after the few initial episodes. Amidst all the uneasiness and tension that is meticulously built, you begin to wonder why the scrutiny of the “virtue and character” of the victim continues, with the “good guys” trying to prove that Velonie is not what she is projected to be. At one point, even Vivek asks “Velonie nallavala kettavala therila? (I don’t know if Velonie is a good girl or not),” based on her alleged sexual affairs. It makes you wonder if the series is leaning towards victim-blaming sentiments by defining what is good or bad. Is death the punishment for sexually-liberated individuals? What if she was polyamorous? While it is true that the reality isn’t a rose garden, it’s disappointing to see how the counter-actions are all only to deny the media’s narrative, with not even one lead character going, ‘So what if the reports are true?’.

Similarly, there is a revelation about another woman falling prey to a gruesome attack, and while she gets poetic justice in the larger scheme of things, the storytelling could have taken a moment to empathise with that other victim as well. All victims are victims, isn't it?

Another huge concern is a parallel track that features a gang of friends who comment on the sensational Velonie case. We keep getting one problematic dialogue after another from the men here, and they do get called out. However, it also seems like the series is trying to go over and out of its world to show the problematic mindset, when it was already doing that quite well with the larger narrative. The same is the case with yet another track that features Hareesh Peradi as a top journalist Sethuraman. The role of the media in society is a necessary element to explore, but the series takes a rather convoluted route with a lot of detours to show this.

These issues do play spoilsport and tire us ever so often. The series certainly could have been made tighter. Watching such intense content with a slow-burner treatment for over eight hours is bound to eventually get tiresome, especially when the red herrings begin to get predictable and when tested tropes make a comeback. While it's understandable that the initial episodes had to give equal screen space to the key characters to keep us guessing on the whodunit, the later episodes could have been quicker.

You do feel bad for actors like Laila, Vivek Prasanna, and debutant Sanjana who deliver splendid performances. SJ Suryah is at his best in the series and brings Vivek to life really well. Even if it isn’t necessarily binge-able, Vadhandhi is an otherwise fairly engrossing offering.

Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime

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Vadhandhi - Thriller Web Series Review!

In the course of the series,a broken-hearted velonie sobs to her strict mother and queries whether being born beautiful was her fault. Such a conversation could scream arrogance in any other situation, but in this one, it comes from a place of heartbreaking honesty. This is the overarching feeling that runs through all eight episodes of the show. However, vadhandhi drifts so far from this feeling that bloatedness sets in and the tight narrative- which is the foundation of any grim crime thriller- begins to unravel.

Vadhandhi opens with a movie shoot in which the dead body discovered at the filming location is mistaken for the actress who has gone missing. But soon we learn that the body discovered one a wind farm is actually that of the titular velonie. This erroneous identity turns out to be the catalyst for a social experiment that consumes velonie and her mother Ruby's lives and even memories ( a brilliant laila ).

Given that the series name is Vadhandhi ( Rumors ), the movie does begin with a number of people speculating about velonie and the circumstances surrounding her horrifying murder. Andrew louis is successful st creating an universe that makes us wonder if velonie is really who she is being described as. Even though velonie is the mian character of the series, she never explicitly tells us anything; instead, what we see on screen is hearsay.

Her friends are the ones who  are describing the type of friend she was to us. Her mother is the one who is describing the kind of daughter she was.one of the visitors of the mother-run mansion who provides a very wholesome yet fuzzy image of the holes in velonie's story is writer sebastian ( a constantly effective Nassar ). There's fiance here, a lover  there, and a couple illegal love affairs elsewhere. Along with the audience, police officer vivek ( played somewhat subbuedly by SJ Suyah) also makes sense of things in this scene.

Point for the producers for showing consideration for the viewers and given us a slowburn that lets the investigation breathe and doesn't pack it all in. Vivek's mental health suffers greatly as a result of velonie's story, which presents itself in many different ways. Vivek has these emotional upheavals as  a result of being  compelled fits the same category as well. To keep from getting sidetracked by all the unimportant diversions, We too must navigate.

Vadhandhi's portrayal is unneeded, inconvenient, and a singificant waste of time, Whether it is the thread about five IT personnel who consumed the news of velonie from mainstream media and made judgements about it or the narrative about certain inflential media companies influencing the news.

With the help pf Dop Saravanan Ramasamy, Vadhandhi which is  complemented by simon k king's soundtrack and makes the most of its scenic setting, is one the better-looking shows on OTT. However, the novelty doesn't always shine brightly, especially with the casting and the setting. The  Anglo-Indian accent is performed with great conviction, but the characters' kanyakumari dialect, which is delicious with the addition of Malayalam, isn't always credible. These sentence were obviously laboriously delivered, which only serves to make the characters seem inorganic. The visual aesthetics, some allusions that verge on the Lolita-ization of velonie, and a scary dream scene that subsequently become something more “ family friendly” all felt problematic, on the other hand.

 An almost hurried conclusion feels like a cop-out for a show that is confident in its ability to provide a steady burn. By the time the eighth episode is through and the credits roll, we are just as worn out as he is and want to snuggle up in a secure place, as suryah's vivek brings out in the final episode the depravity of those who engage in rumour mongering.

vadhandhi attempts to be many things and succeeeds in becoming some of them, but what it fails to achieve is something more powerful and a more significant expression of its doubts. 

Rating : 3/5

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Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie

The murder of a beautiful young girl, seen from the Rashomon-esque perspectives of an unrelenting obsessed cop, a novelist captivated by her grace and an opportunistic news editor. The murder of a beautiful young girl, seen from the Rashomon-esque perspectives of an unrelenting obsessed cop, a novelist captivated by her grace and an opportunistic news editor. The murder of a beautiful young girl, seen from the Rashomon-esque perspectives of an unrelenting obsessed cop, a novelist captivated by her grace and an opportunistic news editor.

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For those who missed the film in theaters and are eager to watch, Munjya is now available to stream, with the home audience’s response eagerly anticipated.

Starring Sharvari and Abhay Verma in the lead roles, and directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, Munjya has already grossed over Rs. 100 crore at the box office. The Maddock Films production also features a soundtrack by Sachin–Jigar.

Aapne Munjya ko yaad kiya, aur voh apni Munni ko dhoondne dauda chala aa gaya.. Saari munnis,please be aware!! Watch #Munjya now streaming! Watch Now : https://t.co/t0anWXEqBv #MunjyaOnHotstar pic.twitter.com/SX9CGSwz9D — Disney+ Hotstar (@DisneyPlusHS) August 24, 2024

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